North Pool slated for demolition

Council honored its outgoing president and the mayor at their last meeting.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City council agreed to bypass the formal bidding process and have a city agency hire a company to demolish the North Pool because of extensive damage to it.
A recent inspection by ES & amp;C International, a Youngstown company, showed a major loss of water from the pool, said Joseph R. McRae, the director of the city's Park and Recreation Commission.
Wet spots exist on properties near the pool on Tod Lane indicating soil saturation that can damage nearby areas, McRae said.
Because the pool needs to be demolished immediately, council agreed Wednesday to have the commission solicit informal bids from companies and hire one on an emergency basis.
Council's legislation permits the commission to spend up to $90,000 for the demolition.
The city hired Kreidler Construction Co. of North Lima last month for $81,000 to replace the roof at the North Pool bathhouse. When it rains, water pours into the building's interior, McRae said.
Replacement facility
The city plans to build a state-of-the-art water facility at the North Pool site in time for next summer, McRae said. The project would cost about $1.9 million, he said.
The project would include a lap pool, slides and splash pads that shoot streams of water, McRae said.
"It would be more like a water park than a pool," he said.
The North Pool opened in 1939, and for a number of years it was among six public pools in the city.
Today, there are two city pools with the other, Borts Pool, located on the West Side on Belle Vista Avenue.
Outgoing officials
Wednesday's meeting was the last for council President James Fortune Sr. and Mayor George M. McKelvey. The two leave office Dec. 31.
Council members, Fortune's friends and family spent close to an hour honoring the outgoing council president at the meeting.
Council also honored McKelvey, who has shied away from public attention as he leaves office.
Council approved legislation Wednesday to have the board of control enter into an agreement, subject to final approval by the city law department, to sever official ties with the downtown redevelopment agency.
The Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. voted Tuesday to reorganize and no longer be the city's exclusive economic agent for the downtown area. The CIC plans to remain active in revitalizing downtown, just not as an official city entity.
skolnick@vindy.com